Will Gidman continues to flourish

Gloucestershire 12 for 0 trail Leicestershire 269 (O'Brien 88, Gidman 5-46) by 257 runs
Scorecard

Will Gidman took five wickets as Gloucestershire bowled out Leicestershire for 269 on day one of their Division Two clash. The seamer took his record in Division Two this season to 30 wickets at an average of 12.93 with figures of 5 for 46 as his side made a good start in search of their second win of the campaign.

Niall O'Brien top-scored for the hosts with 88 but Gloucestershire will be happy with their effort and will continue their response on the second morning with all 10 wickets intact and a dozen runs on the board.

Leicestershire won the toss but made the worst possible start as the first ball of the match, from Will Gidman, nipped back to find Greg Smith's off stump.

Ned Eckersley and Angus Robson each got off the mark with a boundary, though opener Robson waited until almost the end of the sixth over to do so.

The scoring rate accelerated with Liam Norwell giving up 17 runs in two overs, including three boundaries to Robson. That made it 40 for 11 from 12 and the half-century came up when Eckersley pulled Matt Taylor for four. The partnership reached 81 before Robson, four short of a half-century, was caught by Alex Gidman at slip off Norwell.

Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan made only two before being trapped lbw by Benny Howell before lunch was taken at 93 for 3. New man Josh Cobb moved to 20 with three successive boundaries but any gathering momentum was immediately derailed by the wicket of Eckersley, lbw to Will Gidman for 46.

Cobb's 26 contained six fours but was ended when he was bowled by a Norwood inswinger, bringing Rob Taylor in to join O'Brien. The pair each got into their stride with back-to-back boundaries as 28 came in the first four overs of their partnership.

An O'Brien drive off Tom Smith brought up a much-needed fifty stand but Rob Taylor soon fell to the returning Will Gidman, playing on after making 31.

O'Brien was on 35 at tea with the Foxes 191 for 6 and his half-century came from the first ball of the 75th over, the 118th he faced, and contained nine fours. He received useful support from Jigar Naik, who batted over an hour for 10 in a useful seventh-wicket stand of 37 before being bowled by Will Gidman with the third delivery with the new ball.

A flurry of boundaries from O'Brien and Nathan Buck took the score to 250, and secured a second batting point, but the former was denied a century when he fell lbw to Matt Taylor. His 159-ball innings contained 13 boundaries. Alex Wyatt failed to trouble the scorers as he became Will Gidman's fifth victim and two overs later, Norwell (3 for 76) bowled Buck for 15 to wrap up the innings.

Gloucestershire's openers successfully negotiated the five overs remaining, Chris Dent scoring four and Michael Klinger seven as they reached 12 without loss.